Monday, January 7, 2013

Insinnerator - Hypothermia [EP]

If you've followed this zine, then you've probably seen me reference this band on a few occasions, and there's a lot of good reasons for that. Insinnerator blew me away with their debut full-length "Stalagmite of Ice," which made the Bay-Area style interesting 30 years after it's birth. Fast forward a year, and the Texas thrashers have released a new EP that sees the band taking their sound to a whole new level, with improvements on just about every front. "Hypothermia" continues the "ice" theme that the band has openly embraced as a part of their identity, and it couldn't be anymore evident than on this recording. The songs on "Hypothermia" definitely retain a chilling atmosphere in the midst of the violent and evil riffs that never cease on these five songs, and it's given Insinnerator a fucking awesome sound that they can call their own.

The largest complaint that I saw for the band's debut concerned the vocals, and, while I never saw what the problem was with his "unique" thrash barks, there is no denying that "Brutal" Ben's vocals have improved on this EP. "Burned Alive" is the first song on "Hypothermia," and it's a pummeling one that showcases Ben's vicious shouts, which compliment the fast and evil riffage (Think Possessed and early Sepultura) perfectly. This song also shows off Insinnerator's heaviest sound to date, with a devastatingly catchy break that would make Demolition Hammer proud. "Pentagram" is an all-out thrash blitzkrieg that sees the band take the intensity to another level, dishing out crushing riff after crushing riff, bringing to mind bands like Morbid Saint and Vio-Lence. The real gem of this EP, though, is the epic thrash masterpiece that is "Elemental Ice Dragon." This track is full of sick riffs, insane vocals, and drum-kit assaults that go perfectly together with the ice-cold feel that the band has managed to incredibly create (There's even some classical guitar parts in this song!) I'm still amazed that this trio hasn't been signed yet, because they're easily one of the best new thrash bands going today, and it's not even close. Haters be warned, "Hypothermia" will feed you to the beast...